There’s this guy in a truck I stumbled upon a few years ago. He starts up the smoker in the morning, fills it full of ribs, drives to a parking lot and sits there. When the ribs are properly smoked, he’s open for business. When they’re gone, he’s done for the day. Incredible food and I was happy to find him parked along the road. Extra nice in this day of chain restaurants churning out mass amounts of cookie-cutter food.

Today I was equally as lucky. I stumbled upon a new BBQ place literally in a hole in the wall. The Round Up Texas Texas BBQ is on Rt. 9 in Cold Spring (Putnam County, NY) and is stuck in a parking lot behind Old Post Hardware. If there wasn’t a sign along the road (and smoke billowing out of the smoker) we would have never seen it.

The atmosphere is wooden picnic tables with rolls of paper towels on them, longhorns and indian blankets on the walls, and one huge flatscreen TV tuned to golf, but you are not there for the atmosphere, believe me. You are there for the brisket smoked 18 hours and the fall-off-the-bone ribs. An hour later I can still taste the smokey flavor in the back of my throat. It’s rare to have food that sticks with you–in a good way. The chicken was good (the skin was the best part). The spicy sausage was also good. But the stars were the brisket and ribs in my opinion, along with some wonderful and surprisingly spicy mac and cheese.

Places like that are few and far between in a world populated with Outback Steakhouses and Applebees. I’m making it my personal mission to make sure the little guys stick around.

Yes, I’ve been to the farm stands that line Long Island’s Rt. 27 on the drive out to Montauk. But somehow a farm stand and a farmers market are different. I learned that last Thursday when I met my friend at the one in her town. She’s lived there close to 15 years and this is the first I’ve heard of a farmers market taking over the library parking lot in the middle of Armonk, NY supposedly every Thursday of the summer from 3-5 PM. Is it new? Somehow I doubt it. I think it just hit our radar finally now that she is a health nut and is eating all things natural, or organic, or pesticide-free, or whatever you want to call it.

I have to say this, it was an experience and I feel healthier for simply having been there. There was pretty much anything you could want, from fresh fruit and vegetables, to fresh-baked sweets, local wine, honey and even products made from fresh herbs such as lavender sachets. Every booth offered not only nature’s bounties, but also some pretty nice looking, strapping young farm hands peddling their wares–that was a pleasant surprise, I can tell you.

We walked out with the largest head of cauliflower either one of us had ever seen. It must have been the size of a basketball, but after roasting it with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper in the oven, we devoured almost every last ounce. The sunflower sprouts purchased dressed up the garden’s yield of arugula nicely. And the olive and sun-dried tomato tapenade made an excellent appetizer when served with Brie cheese and crackers. For dessert we had ginger cookies sold by Big Girl Baked Goods. Good cookies but worth buying just for the name alone.

All in all I would say a successful trip and one I will happily repeat. Donna now hits a few different farmers markets a week in our area since apparently they travel and set up in different towns each day of the week. With our reusable shopping bag, buying locally grown produce from small farmers rather than supporting the big chain stores with imported goods that travel thousands of miles in big, gas-guzzling, carbon-emitting trucks, I really felt like I was doing something good, on top of getting the freshest possible produce, grown without hormones or chemicals. They also freely and happily give out samples of the food.

So find a farmers market near you, grab a nice rattan or canvas bag and some cash and make an event of it.  The one we went to even had live music–a singer on guitar. And the hot farmers were pretty nice too.

Until next time, happy marketing.

Cat

I’ve gone through life very happily with my eyes closed, simply selecting something off the grocery store shelf that promised tasty goodness on my tongue without much thought past the pretty picture on the package. I am of the Red Dye #2 generation, where we children saw the complete disappearance of red M&Ms for years because someone, somewhere had decided they would give us cancer. I didn’t much care–the green ones were my favorite anyway.

Yet there I was this morning, whipping up a bowl of 1% milk with the powdered contents of a package of sugar free, instant, artificially-flavored pistachio pudding and as the powder hit the milk, and my whisk hit the powder, it all turned into what looked like an unappetizing bowl full of leprechaun semen. I immediately looked to the packaging and, ridiculously so I know, was shocked to see right on the front the words “artificially flavored”. No kidding! How about “artificially colored”?

I’ve made this name brand dessert many times over the years and I’ve never thought twice about it, but as I’ve said, I’ve been ruined by my friend who is on a new health kick and has forced us all to re-examine our eating habits. Some changes I’ve found easy. Things like using my stainless steel water bottle instead of plastic bottles, or microwaving leftovers only in glass rather than in used, plastic, chinese take-out containers. Other changes I am finding incredibly difficult. I haven’t enjoyed a cup of coffee since she convinced me to give up my artificial sweetener and powdered creamer. I’ve tried half and half, heated and frothed milk, soy milk, sugar, agave, and all combinations in between and I’m still not happy. The worst part is, when I gave up and tried to go back to my old ways, that now tastes funny to me too. Maybe I need to switch to tea…

Anyway, I have no answers for you, only whining. Sorry, my only excuse is that it is early in the morning, my coffee tastes like crap and I have leprechaun sperm in my fridge. Maybe it’s time to get back to the past. The days when my father would harvest his homegrown vegetables (fertilized only with manure and compost) and my mother would preserve them in Ball jars for the winter. When we had our own chickens who roamed the yard eating bugs and laying fresh eggs. I’m not talking Colonial times (I’m only 43 years old after all). This was a decade or two ago. How have things changed so quickly? Maybe it’s time we considered changing back.

Cat

OPERATION BBQ FOR THE TROOPS -Watch the Video on FoodNetwork

Watch barbecuing US Marine style in this Food Network video.

JARHEAD RED WINE

Jarhead Jarhead Red is a wine made by Marines on Californiaís Central Coast. It offers flavors of plum, cassis and black currant with fine tannins on the finish. It is aged in French oak barrels for eight months. Net proceeds from the sale of the wine benefit the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, which provides educational assistance to children of U.S. Marines, with special attention given to children of fallen Marines. For more information on the foundation, please visit www.mcsf.org. Visit www.jarheadred.com for more fun facts, info and ordering information.

JONES SODA

I love when food products go above and beyond and this company is off the charts in the cool factor. I’d often seen their bottles on the shelves in the food store. They were different first because they were actual glass bottles rather than plastic and because the labels were always really fun. What I didn’t know then that I do know now is that Jones takes photo submissions from people like you and me and turns them into the actual labels on the bottles on the food store shelves.

How cool is that?? You can submit your photo to the gallery for consideration or you can order custom labeled bottles to be shipped to you. A great idea for party favors for a bridal or baby shower, engagement party, a milestone anniversary or birthday party, or a wedding. A great marketing idea for my books if I upload for instance, my book cover as the label.

For now I uploaded some really artsy pics I’d taken a few years ago. Pictures I’d taken and loved but didn’t have any idea of what to do with them. You can download the label mockup as iPhone wallpaper. You can also share the link and have people vote for your picture. Meanwhile, the people at Jones are pawing through the many submissions and deciding if any are label-worthy. If they decide yes, you’ll be notified and your photo could be on my grocery store shelf.

Below is what I did while not working… Go try for yourself!

]]> http://eatsomethingsexy.com/blogs/catjohnson/2010/05/18/personalized-pop/feed/ 0 http://eatsomethingsexy.com/blogs/catjohnson/2010/05/13/into-the-wild/ http://eatsomethingsexy.com/blogs/catjohnson/2010/05/13/into-the-wild/#comments Thu, 13 May 2010 11:00:50 +0000 Cat Johnson http://eatsomethingsexy.com/blogs/catjohnson/?p=152 Reading Amy’s Blog post about her trip to Africa and all the wild game she saw, not only in the wild but also on her plate, brought back some great culinary memories for me of my own trip to the UK. Why you ask? The Brits are best known for their Fish and Chips, right?

That’s what I’d assumed too, until I arrived there in the midst of the “Mad Cow” scare. You remember that, don’t you? Back in the 90’s when some tainted beef turned the entire country away from eating anything cow for months. It may or may not have been a real danger to the public, all I know is I bought into the hype for awhile and avoided beef like it would cause the plague and 3 weeks of that time period were spent touring England, Scotland and Wales.

I have to say, I am most grateful I was there during the Mad Cow thing, because it forced me to order things I never would have considered otherwise. I had some of the best meals of my life during those 3 weeks. The medieval city of York turned out to be a culinary mecca. I still remember the meal I ate in Edinburgh. The Grenadier in London is a hidden gem.

Yes we indulged in the traditional fish and chips (served for take-out in newspaper with vinegar on the side). But I also ate rabbit, venison, game pie, Ploughman’s Lunch and haggis. We hit up tiny food storefronts and purchased Double Gloucester and Derby cheese, bread and Scotch Eggs for a picnic enjoyed while sitting on the ruins of Tintagel Castle in Cornwall. A traditional English Breakfast is not to be missed and will keep you full for hours.

It was a trip I will never forget for so many reasons but mainly because I was pushed out of my culinary comfort zone. An American forced to eat like a Brit for a short period of time. We should all be so lucky to have that experience.

Ignoring the collective gasp from all the wine aficionados I have to say it’s worked out pretty well for me so far. I am rarely disappointed with a wine I’ve blindly chosen based on the name or label AND it makes it all the more fun. I mean, who couldn’t appreciate the irony when I bought only Bitch wine for my friend Grace’s birthday party? And the other night for my friend Donna’s birthday, the bottle of Flying Piano was not only a big hit (she is a piano teacher) but was also a tasty choice.

You know the person you are buying the wine for best but other generic options I’ve used are El Bastardo, Fat Bastard and Old Fart–all tasty and fun choices for gifts for the men in your lives.

I do love a theme… I’ve taken Barefoot wine to the beach in summer, and Little Penguin wine to a holiday party in winter. Vampire or Evil or Seven Deadly Zins make a fun addition to any Halloween party, or book signing when I’m with my friends who write paranormal romance. The Menage a Trois label is fun to promote the naughty books I write and my boss (and former publisher) had a bottle of that open when I arrived at the corporate retreat in Hilton Head last week.

For the upcoming Mother’s Day and Father’s Day holidays I will likely be picking up bottles of Mommy’s Time Out and Dad’s Day Off.

Maybe it’s the writer in me that makes me want to up the anty creatively. It’s simply not good enough that a wine taste good. I’m sorry, but I want to be entertained as well. Judge if you must, but my wine selections and I are usually the hit of the party. Just sayin’…

Until next time,

Cat

Anyway, that is not sexy food so why am I writing about this on the Eat Something Sexy blogs? I’ve been thinking about the years I spent at that club a lot lately. In the serendipitous way things sometimes work out, my old bar manager from the club just found me on Facebook, and with him came a whole slew of new FB friends from among the old crew I used to work with. That, just as the story I wrote and set at the country club is about to release. Funny, isn’t it? And now, being the promo ‘ho I am, I am engaging in a blog tour to promote the story because Private Lies (my country club story) is part of All Romance eBooks’ 28 Days of Heart series, and all proceeds from the 28 eBooks (released one each day in February) will go to benefit the American Heart Association. So I’ve been writing blog posts for about 2 days straight now. In fact, with blog posts dancing in my sleepless head, I rose at 430 am this morning and here I am with you now.

Anyway, the point of this predawn ramble is this–I’ve been thinking a lot about that club and how it formed who I am today and I can honestly say it changed the kind of cook and the kind of diner I am. No, I’m not talking about the chocolate mousse made from powered mix Chef Fred (picture Gordon Ramsey with a German accent) used to literally throw at us when he was angry. I’m talking about the good stuff, the stuff kept in the back. Because just like how all the best stuff happening at that club was behind the scenes, out of view of the average old man tottering in to have me refresh his Dewars on the rocks (lots of Dewars, not so many rocks), the best food was also in the back.

Paco, Johnny and the kitchen crew that worked beneath the lunatic head chef all came from the same village in Mexico. In the winter they lived a warm, carefree life in Mexico. If you wanted to reach them, you had to call the phone located in the store in town. One of them would usually be hanging out there playing dominoes. But in the summer all the men of that town would fly north to New York and live in the rooms upstairs in the clubhouse while working at the club and earning enough money to send back to their families and live on the entire year.

And with them came some of the best food I’ve ever had the pleasure of partaking in. It was a lucky staff member who stumbled upon the food that Paco or Johnny cooked up. It was at the club where I learned to love and make Pico de Gayo (loosely translated that is ‘the rooster’s peck’ because this dish has a kick). You could throw anything at these guys and they’d make a feast of it. After the club fishing trip, guess who cooked up the Bluefish? The greenskeeper accidentally hit a deer with his car, yeah, that got turned into stew. Fresh tomatoes from Sam the locker room attendant’s garden? They threw chopped jalepeno peppers and oil in a big bowl with the tomato wedges, someone brought in a fresh italian bread and we’d all sit around the table, and the bowl, dipping and eating with our lips burning but never happier. I was on the bar crew and when we were lucky, we’d have fresh Guacomole and homemade salsa on the bar, though I’m sure I ate more than the patrons.

There were a few club members in the know. They’d bypass the coffee shop server and head straight back to where Paco was working on the line and say, “I want what YOU guys are eating.” Smart man because as I learned during those summers, the good stuff is always kept in the back.

Cat

So I got Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child for Christmas. It’s 684 pages, not counting all the index pages in the back which are numbered with Roman numerals that I can’t decipher because I went to public school. This tome weighs a good ten pounds and though I far outweigh it, it is intimidating the hell out of me.

It’s my own fault, really. When my mother called from the bookstore weeks ago and asked if I would like it for Christmas I said yes. Why? Because I love a good story and the story that surrounds this book of late is a great one.

Julie Powell back in August of 2002 decided to not only cook her way through this book, all 536 recipes in 365 days while holding down a real job, but also to blog about it in what she named ‘The Julie/Julia Project”. But that isn’t the story that gets me, it’s what happens next. She turned that year-long blog into a book, and that book became the Meryl Streep, Amy Adams movie “Julie & Julia” that everyone is talking about. Being a writer, publication stories like that fascinate me. So much so I have googled my tushy off and found the original 2002 blog, and I am reading my way through it, day by day, and totally enjoying it.

Julie is normal. She screws up the recipes, and then tells us about how when that happens, she just adds more butter and cream to try and fix it. She drops the f-word liberally, as anyone would while taking on such a monumental challenge. She calls it like she sees it, wondering at the craziness around her, such as the raw food movement that hits during her cooking experiment, or that she couldn’t find swiss cheese in her regular food store in Brooklyn but she could buy imported Fontina.

I anticipate I will enjoy her real-life blog musings far more than what I am sure is a sanitized for mainstream publishing, edited version that hit the bookshelves. She already hinted at that in the comment that the book title (Julie & Julia) is boring, the result of an editorial battle lost. And don’t we authors know all about that–choose your battles.

No, I have no plans what so ever in this lifetime to repeat Julie’s project, but I do hope to challenge myself with a few of these recipes. Looking through the book, the first thing to cross my mind was how outdated it seemed to my modern cook’s eye. I learned to cook during the dawn of olive oil, and microwaves. Julia Child wrote this book in 1961, and it is more than obvious her two favorite ingredients are butter and heavy cream.

Yet a lot of what Julia Child writes makes sense, such as when she warns against the temptation to use the food processor to blend your potato leek soup. She’s right, that one appliance means the difference between what ends up being more like runny mashed potatoes rather than a hearty soup where the potatoes and leeks are still recognizable.

I suppose if I take away a few techniques and basics, it will only help me in everything I cook. If nothing else, it will be a lesson in humility. Let’s just hope I am strong enough to withstand such a lesson. I have to wonder about that as I ignore daily the container full of cookies that I screwed up but still refuse to throw away. Who I think is going to eat them is beyond me, they taste bad and look worse, but there they sit, waiting on the counter. Perhaps humility is what both Julie and Julia are meant to teach me.

I will keep you informed of both the failures and the successes.

Humbly,

Cat

Being Italian/Catholic, Donna’s family does it up big, with the meal of the 7 Fishes and all. Sigh, now I need to go Google the significance of the 7 fishes…hang on…okay, looks like you can’t eat meat so you had to eat fish, and the reason for the 7 is not confirmed but it could relate to the 7 days of creation or possibly the number of Sacraments. Thank you, Wikipedia. Moving on…

Anyway, the trip to Arthur Avenue signals I have very little time to finish my gift shopping. Yes, that was a confession, I’m not done yet. Luckily I am down to just a few gift certificates and a quick trip to the liquor store and I will be done, but for those of you in a tighter bind, here are a few suggestions of some of my favorite gifts to give.

FOOD- Who doesn’t love a big basket packed full with tasty treats? And unlike the unattractive sweater that you have to wear or risk insulting the giver, food gifts can be easily eaten, donated, or re-gifted at one of the many holiday parties you’ll be attending. I personally like a theme. I’ve put together a ’spicy’ basket with various fun hot sauces, chocolates I found online that contained hot pepper, and even beer made with chili peppers. Throw in an attractive bottle opener, perhaps a tree ornament or cute cocktail napkins or bowl and Viola! Fun, unique, done! With not much time left for shipping, you procrastinators will have to go to a local gourmet shop or beer importer and buy your basket purchases there.

BOOKS- I’m an author, of course I love books and bookstores are open late during this season and the larger chains even email you 30% off coupons if you sign up. Children on my list have gotten the Eloise books since I LOVE The Plaza Hotel in NY. My nieces have also received a fun book I found “Auntie Claus” about a child who finds out her aunt is Santa. For adults, cookbooks are fun. Amy’s Fork Me, Spoon Me Aphrodisiac cookbook is a great gift, wrapped up with a serving fork and spoon perhaps?

WINE – It’s no secret I buy wine by the name and the label. I’ve gifted wines by the name of Bitch, Fat Bastard, Il Bastardo, Menage e Trios, Old Fart, Seven Deadly Zins, Daddy’s Day Off, Mad Housewife, even Big House (with a sketch of a prison on the label for my lawyer friend)… you get the picture.

Use your imagination, connect it specifically to the person you’re giving it to and wrap it attractively, and even a last minute gift won’t look like it.

As I plot out my day and its errands, I wish you all a wonderful holiday.

Cat

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